Israel kills three in Gaza for crossing 'Yellow Line' as Hamas seeks asylum for fighters abroad

Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinians in Gaza near the so-called "Yellow Line" demarcating areas of Israeli control on Monday, as the ostensible cease-fire that came into effect six weeks ago nears the end of its first phase with little progress toward outlining the second.

Palestinian medics told Reuters that Monday's attack involved an Israeli drone firing a missile at a group of people east of Khan Younis, killing two and wounding another, and a tank shell killing a person on the eastern side of Gaza City.

Israel's military said it had fired after identifying what it called "terrorists" crossing what is known as the yellow line, which is reportedly poorly marked on the ground, with occasional cement blocks painted in yellow.

Israel has killed at least 342 Palestinians since the truce began on Oct. 10, the Gaza Health Ministry announced.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a statement on Monday evening saying that it had located a body of a deceased hostage in an area controlled by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

The group did not provide further details, but a source from within it, who requested anonymity, confirmed to AFP that the body they had located belonged to one of the last three hostages who were being held in Gaza.

Hamas seeks countries willing to grant asylum

Over the past week, Hamas has contacted several countries seeking asylum for 100 to 200 of its fighters trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah in an area of Gaza under Israeli army occupation, Times of Israel reported on Monday, citing Israeli officials who spoke with Channel 12. All the requests were rejected, the Israeli media stated.

The countries reportedly approached included Turkey and several unspecified African nations. According to the report, the requests were made with Israel’s knowledge.

Under Trump's 20-point "peace plan," Hamas is required to disarm, and, while the plan includes a mechanism for safe passage out of Gaza for Hamas fighters, no country so far has signaled willingness to receive them.